


Nights, Whispers, and Wine

by dustywoolhat



Series: Stardust [2]
Category: The Mighty Boosh RPF
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, lots of kisses!, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 04:41:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dustywoolhat/pseuds/dustywoolhat
Summary: Noel likes nights, and Julian likes the taste of wine.





	Nights, Whispers, and Wine

_**"Midnight brought us sweet romance; I know all my whole life through I’ll be remembering you, whatever else I do. Midnight with the stars and you."**  
Harry M. Woods : Midnight, The Stars, and You_

****  
_**

~~~

** _  


Noel closed his eyes briefly as he rested his head on Julian’s shoulder, breathing in the sweet smell of tobacco, wine, and _Julian_ on his shirt. Noel always liked the way Julian smelled, his own masculine smell better than the cologne he put on every morning.

The moon was continuing to rise in the sky, and the two of them were slowly swaying together as Ella Fitzgerald’s voice filled the room from the record player. Julian’s arms were wrapped around Noel’s waist as he held him close, while Noel’s arms were loosely wrapped around his neck, and Noel left a soft kiss on his jaw.

By now, on any other night, Noel would be getting ready for a long night of parties, calling and texting his friends to make sure they were going to meet him at a certain bar or club at a certain time. He loved parties; the constant beat in his chest as he danced, talking loudly and laughing with the people among the crowd, switching partners for a song, the consistent round of drinks being offered, and the occasional drug that would be passed. He didn’t quite care about the headache the night’s events would give him in the morning, even though he was getting older. It was fun, he still looked and felt like he was in his late twenties, and he was still physically able to stay up until 5 in the morning.

He loved the rush of adrenaline parties gave him, he loved the thought that anything could happen in the time he was out, and it helped a bit that girls were always all over him. The night was dark, and it often felt like they were mysterious. Only the night would allow things to happen that had to be kept secret. Especially all the nights he spent with Julian.

Noel often felt bad whenever he dragged Julian out to a party, as he knew Julian wasn’t a big fan of dancing or drugs, but he quite liked drinking, and that was good enough for Noel. Now that Julian was already 40 with two kids at home, it took a lot more than a wink, a promise, and a kiss to convince him to go out for a night, but when Julian was drunk, he was fun. He was loose, a bit giggly, friendlier, open, and he was quite sexual if they were alone or in an isolated enough location. Julian would run his mouth, tell him how much he loved him, how perfect he was, how much he needed him. It would make Noel squirm and almost shy, and he would act coy, just so Julian could get a bit handsy and tell him how sexy he was. Noel liked drunk Julian, and he could be quite sweet if they were in the right setting, like when they were home alone in their flat and drank the night away with a bottle of wine.

Sometimes, though, Julian got quiet and moody when he drank, depending on how stressed he was or how his day went, and that Julian made Noel anxious. Though, sometimes it could be hot if Noel played his cards right. But usually Noel wouldn’t, couldn’t, leave a club with Julian. They both knew better than that.

But there were too many times Noel had managed to find his way to Julian’s flat at four in the morning, quite drunk and a bit high. He was never sure why he always went to him instead of his own flat. They didn’t live very far away from each other, anyway. He knew it was wrong of him. It wasn’t fair to Julia, who now had two kids to raise, but Julian was usually understanding. Still, it always made him uncomfortable to wake up on the couch with a hangover, an argument happening in the kitchen about Noel’s sudden drop-by. He would quickly get up and interrupt them, saying he’ll be on his way, and give Julian an apologetic look. Sometimes Julian would hold him until he fell asleep, but he would wake up alone, which always disappointed Noel. There were nights where Julian simply told him to fuck off, that he needed to go home, and this would make an intoxicated Noel laugh and swear at him bitterly before finding a taxi. He had limited his amount of stops to Julian’s ever since Julia nearly caught the two of them on the couch together, with Noel trying to get into Julian’s pants as he sat on his lap. Julian made him go home that night, and Noel refrained from ringing for a day or two.

But Noel loved the night because of how calm they were, as well. The weekend was always busy, but on a late Monday night, it was still, and Noel would sit near the window and think. There were so many nights he spent laughing, smiling, having a good time, even without alcohol or drugs in his system. Those were probably the best nights, just sitting with friends and talking, and if it was safe, telling anecdotes he wouldn’t usually tell that often. There were so many nights he spent staying up with Julian, bouncing ideas off each other, speaking in silly voices and coming up with songs in a ridiculously deep voice. He loved late-night working sessions with Julian, as nights with sleep-deprivation seemed to bring the even _more_ creative side out both of them.

It was only when the sky was dark that Julian first kissed Noel so many years ago. It happened when things were simpler, when neither of them thought they’d ever make it as a comedy duo. The kiss was tentative, sweet, and thankfully sober, and it was perfect. They weren’t living together yet, and the two of them were sitting awkwardly in the living room of the small flat Noel shared with Lee Mack and Dave Brown. They had just gone home from what Noel defined as a date, and before anybody could say anything else after the kiss, Julian stood up, wished Noel a good night, and went home.

But only when the full moon dimly lit the messy bedroom that Julian and Noel first undressed each other quickly, only to rut against each other, trying to suppress their moans until they both came, wrapped up in each other’s arms, still not completely sure what the hell they were doing.

It became evident to Noel and Julian that nights were reserved for _them_ , and that excited them.

Nights then meant comedy clubs, bars, parties, but most of all, Julian, and the two of them were still unsure about their ‘relationship’ but happy nonetheless, as their stage show was received better than they had expected, and, most of all, they had each other. After gigs, nights were celebrated with a small party of drinks and friends, and they often ended in Noel’s bed, with heated kisses and soft groans. And soon, they would be spending their nights at a ‘studio’ recording their radio series in a small room near a train. They would sleep all day and work at night, tumbling into Julian’s bed, exhausted, but creative ideas would still linger in their heads after hours of recording and painting on the old dusty floor.

Julian made Noel happy, and Noel had loved staying up after Julian had fallen asleep, thinking about them and who they were going to be, how successful they were going to be, and how neither of them would have made it if Noel hadn’t continuously walked up to annoy Julian, telling him that he did stand-up a bit like him. Sometimes it paid off to be annoying. Additionally, Noel always gave himself a mental high five for warning Julian that he could never leave if he came in for a cup of tea that first time Julian drove him home. He was more than glad when Julian only shrugged and claimed he didn’t have anything else going on. Noel was sure that, to anyone else, that would sound alarming, but to Julian, it was normal, and that was what made their partnership so wonderful. They had the same sense of strange humor, and they always worked so well together on stage, because, as Noel always told Julian, he did do stuff a bit like him.

Now, nights were crazy, with party after party, and soon they would go on another Boosh tour, which would result in sleepless nights, laughter, and a certain closeness that only seemed to be present during a tour. He would get to spend months next to Julian, in cars and a tour bus, and he would be able to spend nights in Julian’s hotel room. Sometimes, anyway, as it had already been decided that Robots in Disguise would be touring with them, which would restrict the amount of personal time he spent with Julian.

But currently, it seemed like he had all the time in the world with Julian. It felt as if they were practically living together again, except this time in a (nearly) stable relationship with no girlfriends or children to worry about at the moment. And Noel was trying to take advantage of every minute of it. He tried to burn the memory of the smell of sweet wine and Julian into his brain, along with the sound of Julian softly humming to the record he had listened to so many times before, and the feel of Julian against his body, the steady heartbeat underneath his hand when it rested on Julian’s chest. It was always best to keep these memories. He was always unsure when nights like these would finally come to an end, but especially recently.

Two hours prior, when Julian suggested they watch tele, Noel instead gave Julian a bottle of wine and decided he was going to take a quick bath. Julian only nodded and found something to occupy himself with, tidying up the living room; moving Noel’s paintings up against the wall, placing his notebook and other pieces of paper in a short stack on the floor, along with all of his various art supplies, but not yet dragging the coffee table back in the middle of the room.

Julian wanted to do something special tonight with Noel, so he began to look for a specific record to listen to. He flipped through his own pile of records Noel had set aside for him, a pile of albums that he brought over to Noel’s but always forgot to bring back home. He appreciated that Noel kept them just beside his own impressive record collection, full of Rolling Stones and David Bowie and Frank Zappa albums. Julian chuckled when he found a new Bob Dylan album, rolling his eyes at the memory of an interview they had only last month, and how Noel went on about Bob Dylan. It was difficult to see Noel Fielding of all people listening to folk music. Down the hall, he could hear Noel singing to himself as he bathed, which made Julian smile. He shook his head with a chuckle at the idea of Noel making a beard and hat with bubbles, acting childish as he sang lyrics out of tune and out of order. Julian finally picked up an album by Ella Fitzgerald, _Songs In A Mellow Mood_ , and he placed it besides the record player for later. He put on another Ella Fitzgerald album for the time being, keeping the volume quiet.

Noel still wasn’t out of the bath by the time Julian had finished cleaning the room, so he poured two glasses of wine, placed his glass on the coffee table, and pulled his package of cigarettes out of his pocket. He leaned by the open window so he could light up a cigarette, and he looked down at the quiet street. He sighed softly as he checked his watch, discovering it was only seven o’clock, and briefly wondered what everybody had planned to do at seven o’clock on a Tuesday night. He reached down to take a sip of his wine and observed the cars beneath the window, frowning whenever a car sounded its horn or brakes screeched.

Once Julian was done with his cigarette, he slipped it into a Diet Coke can that sat on the accent table by the couch, and shook the can to ensure the ember was extinguished. The soft jazz playing from the record player clashing with the noise from the cars on the street below. Julian couldn’t help himself from grabbing another cigarette and leaned against the window sill again, letting his mind wander.

Meanwhile, Noel was blow drying his hair, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist as his hips swayed to the music playing in his head. Once his hair was dry, he walked to his wardrobe and thought for a moment. He had many options for clothing that could potentially change the night’s events. He stood there for a while, a hand on his hip, and the index finger of his other hand rested on his bottom lip while he muttered the lyrics to Ruby Tuesday. He could go out to see Julian as he was, with nothing on besides his towel, he could just put on a pair of pajama bottoms, or he could find something sexy or even silly to put on. He sighed exasperatingly, until a flash of green caught his eye. He grinned when he saw it and pulled it out of the wardrobe. It was a short green dress, with a low-cut neck that was lined with a complementary brown, and at the end of the neck line there was brown string loosely-tied bow. Fringe also lined the bottom of the dress, and the sleeves were longer at the cuffs, which was one of Noel’s favorite features of the dress. They were like flares for arms.

Noel grinned as he ran his hand over the material of the dress, admiring the nice pattern along the neckline and sleeves. He threw his towel on the back of a chair, grabbed a pair of y-fronts from a drawer, and pulled the dress on over his head. He made his way back into the bathroom to admire himself, and he was certainly pleased with what he saw in the mirror. The dress revealed most of his chest, and the loose bow looked quite cute as it rested just past his sternum; the sleeves went down three-quarters of his arms, and the dress hung about mid-thigh, plus the fringe. He did a little twirl, and he chuckled in delight as the fringe circled along with his movements.

Noel decided to put on just a bit of makeup to add to the outfit. This wasn’t initially his intention, his plan was not to take a bath and wear a cute dress for Julian, but it just turned out that way. He put on some clear lip gloss that tasted like strawberries for a nice shine, and figured some mascara would complete the look.

Halfway through putting mascara on, the door to the bedroom opened. Noel gasped in surprise and quickly shut the door of the bathroom, not wanting Julian to see his outfit quite yet. Noel’s heart rate increased and he quietly groaned when he saw he messed up his mascara due to jumping slightly when the door opened.

"Hey, uh, Noel?" Julian’s voice sounded through the door. "Have you, urm, got any candles?"

There was confusion and a slight hint of apprehension in Julian’s voice, and Noel bit his lip to keep himself from squealing. Tonight was definitely going to be a romantic night for no special reason, and Noel was _more_ than excited.

"Yeah, Ju, check the cupboard. I’m sure I’ve got some," Noel replied, giggling softly as he imagined Julian eyeing the bathroom door in confusion, wondering what Noel was up to.

He heard a muffled ‘Alright’ and the bedroom door closing as Julian made his way down the hallway. Noel took a deep breath to keep calm, excited to present himself to Julian. He turned to look at himself in the mirror again, huffing at the messy mascara. He wiped the messy mascara off his eye and redid it, sure there won’t be any more interruptions. He took a final look at himself in the mirror and nodded, pleased with his appearance, and decided it was time to check on what Julian was up to.

Noel tiptoed into the living room and grinned when he heard music become louder as he walked down the hallway, and he found Julian pouring himself another glass of wine. Noel placed his hands on his hips as he stood near the couch, a large smile across his lips. Julian had cleaned up the space and lit a few candles, but it was completely dark in the house otherwise, save for two lamps on accent tables and the streetlights pouring into the room from the now-closed windows, the light only opaque from the sheer curtains.

"Julian, this is really nice," Noel couldn’t help whisper, his hands falling to his sides, his fingers one one hand playing with the fringe of his dress.

Julian looked up at Noel from his glass of wine and nearly choked as he unexpectedly snorted at the other man’s appearance. Noel blushed and adjusted his hair, averting his eyes to the ground for a moment before sheepishly looking up at Julian with a grin.

"I didn’t expect to see you in a dress," Julian muttered, but he made a smile anyway. He picked up the other glass of wine and handed it to him. "Here, I poured you a glass. I already had some without you. You were taking too long."

Noel held the glass with both of his hands and looked down at the red alcohol, trying to contain the joy he felt in their current situation. "Sorry, I wanted to look good for my partner." He glanced up at Julian from beneath his fringe and gave a pout.

Julian’s eyebrow raised. "Are you wearing lipgloss?" he asked.

Noel nodded after taking a sip of his wine. "Just for you, luv. I know you like me with lipgloss." He winked at Julian, a small smirk on his face.

Noel took a seat on the floor in front of the couch and placed his glass of wine beside him, criss-crossing his legs in front of him so he was sat like a school boy, and he made sure that his dress didn’t ride up his legs. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with how romantic the whole situation was. He felt like a teenage girl on a romantic date with a boy who was home alone for the weekend. Chocolate strawberries would have topped it all off as the most cliché date in history. The music, the wine, the candles; it was all very romantic and cliché, and it was sweet of Julian to set the setting. But it was still rather unique, with a man wearing a dress and makeup while his heterosexual boyfriend stood awkwardly, listening to jazz as he drank his glass of wine. It would be a strange scene to anyone else, Noel thought, but to Noel, it was absolutely perfect. Really, there was nothing else Noel wanted to do at this moment than to sit with Julian, drink wine, and laugh about how ridiculous this whole thing was.

Noel bit his lip and looked up at Julian, who was evidently trying to drink his second glass of wine as fast as he could. "Are you going to stand there all night," Noel asked, "or are you going to join me?" A small smirk appeared on his face.

"Oh," Julian muttered, and he plopped onto the carpet beside him. His long legs stretched out in front of him, and they crossed at the ankles. "Are the candles okay?"

"They’re perfect." Noel gave him a genuine smile and reached to take his hand, intertwining their fingers and kissing the back of his hand, just like he had done that morning.

The corners of Julian’s mouth twitched into a small smile, and he nodded, pleased. "Oh. Good." He looked down at his own outfit and admitted quietly, "I have to admit, I feel quite underdressed. I would’ve put on something nicer if I knew you were going to..." His voice drifted off at the sound of Noel’s laughter.

"Don’t be silly, Julian, you look fine. Really!" Noel scooted closer to Julian to give him a kiss on his cheek. "I really like the album you have on," he said before he took a drink of his wine.

Julian chuckled. "You want me to change it?" he asked, ready to get up from the floor, but Noel shook his head wildly.

"No! I like it. You know I like Ella Fitzgerald. If I hadn’t, I would’ve thrown that record away a long time ago. You always leave it here," Noel teased. "Besides, it’s romantic." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but he chuckled and blushed, adjusting his hair once again. It was quite beautiful, really.

Julian rolled his eyes, but he made a small smile. "Yeah, it’s supposed to be romantic. Anyway, how was your bath?" He let go of Noel’s hand and draped his arm over the seat of the couch behind them, and he began to play with Noel’s soft, blow-dried hair. He had shorter hair, as he had gotten a haircut earlier this year and decided he liked the shorter length rather than the long feathered look that lay past his shoulders. Julian was more fond of it himself.

Noel hummed and shuffled closer to Julian, resting his head on his shoulder. "Quite nice. I wish you’d joined me, though, I was waiting for you to come in and check on me." He lifted his head to pout at Julian, playfully glaring at him.

"I’m sorry to disappoint," Julian said with a chuckle and kissed the pout away. "Maybe tomorrow, little man," he suggested.

Noel shook his head. "No, not tomorrow. We have work– Well, actually, we should be doing work _tonight_." He bit the tip of his tongue and grinned up at Julian.

Julian’s lips twitched into a small smile. "Work can wait until tomorrow. I’ve got other plans for tonight." Noel caught a glimpse of love and lust in the other man’s eyes, which made Noel’s heart flutter.

If Julian would have muttered ‘Tomorrow’ any other time, Noel would have been quite upset. Sometimes promises of tomorrow never came true, as Julian would have to go home. It was either back to Julia and his twins, his family, or Dee returning home in the morning from a night out with friends or something, resulting in Julian having to flee. But this week, Julia was visiting her mum for the entire week with the kids, and Dee was away, visiting friends and family for a few days. Noel had made an excuse of working so he could have a few days with Julian, which meant Noel and Julian could spend their entire week together, doing anything they wanted to do with no interruptions.

There were too many early mornings Julian had to wake him up to say he was leaving, and on rare occasions he would leave with only a note sitting on the bedside table, signed with kisses and a heart, which would have a side note saying ‘Sorry.’ This was one of the many reasons why Noel preferred the night. He could spend time with Julian at night, it was when they were in love and together in so many ways. Mornings only brought heartache and hangovers to Noel’s life, which only left him sad and irritated the rest of the day.

Noel raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What have you got planned then?" he asked.

"You’ll see," was Julian’s reply as he got up from the floor to grab the bottle of wine, wanting to keep it close in case Noel would like some more. "So, when did you get that Bob Dylan record?"

Noel laughed and the two of them talked for a good hour, about anything and everything that came to mind, simply enjoying each other’s company. They laughed, joked, spoke about serious subjects, and they each drank another glass of wine. Between their various topics, Noel had to apologize for spending the day painting instead of doing something productive with Julian. But Noel had quite a pleasant day, anyway. They conversed in between Noel’s singing while Noel painted, and Julian would read an interesting article in whatever magazine or newspaper he had in his hand.

The thing was, Noel could listen to Julian talk for hours, no matter what was coming out of his mouth. Whether it be a new music artist he discovered recently, or about a movie he just watched, or even about a funny thing that might’ve just happened yesterday when Noel was out. Noel loved Julian’s voice. It was deep, smooth, and it was dark when he was moody. It was simply and so wonderfully _Julian_ that he couldn’t get enough of it. As the two of them sat next to each other and talked, his voice was quiet, deep, soft, and it was making Noel’s chest tighten, and his heart kept fluttering at the idea of what Julian had planned. Julian was in a good mood, and Noel was more than happy to just be sat next to him, drinking wine and listening to quiet jazz.

Though, Noel had to admit, he didn’t quite like the taste of wine. He much preferred the bubbly fizz of champagne over the almost-thick, flat substance of wine, but he knew Julian liked it, and that was enough for Noel to make sure there were at least two bottles of wine in the house at all times. Dee often asked him about it, but Noel would only dismiss it, claiming they were ‘for those rare special occasions,’ even though he and Dee had never shared a bottle themselves.

Halfway through their conversation, the record play began producing a quiet crackling noise, signaling the end of the record. Julian got up to gently switch the records, and soon the soft music of a piano flowed out of the speakers, accompanied by Ella Fitzgerald’s voice singing low. At that moment, Julian admittedly felt a bit silly. He had been well to sappy all day, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Damn Noel and his compliments. And damn Noel for wearing a dress and makeup and looking up at him expectantly, his eyes wide and curious. "This album alright?" he asked, but he knew all too well what this particular record meant to him.

Noel nodded and bit his lip, adjusting his hair and turning away from Julian as the man sat back down.

Noel recognized the song the moment Julian placed the needle on the vinyl and a piano filled the room. Immediately, the memory of the first time he and Julian listened to this album years ago filtered into his mind. He remembered how Julian taught him how to properly slow dance, and they kissed and danced and kissed some more. And he remember how he cried because he had never felt so overwhelmed with love before, the sound of a love song and swaying in Julian’s arms being too much for a young Noel Fielding. Nobody had been quite so romantic with Noel, and sometimes it surprised him that Julian, at times, could be so sweet and romantic, like now. And like then, Noel realized he was truly in love with the other man. The memory of the startled look on Julian’s face when he noticed tears streaming down Noel’s face made Noel smile, as Julian quickly tried to reassure him it was alright, unsure of what exactly set Noel off. Noel had only laughed and told him to shut up and kiss him, which Julian did gladly. The two of them fell asleep cuddled up on the couch that night, after Noel asked Julian to play the record one more time before they fell asleep.

"Julian?" Noel asked tentatively, glancing at the man next to him.

"Yeah?"

"This is our record, isn’t it? I mean, it’s the one we’ll always have to listen to, right? Just you and me, like now?" It was a silly question, Noel knew, but he only wanted to make sure that he could always count on this specific record if and when they ‘break up.’

Noel heard Julian chuckle, and Julian nodded. "Of course this is _our_ record. Played it just for you, didn’t I?" Julian reached to take Noel’s hand in his, and he interlaced their fingers.

Noel smiled at Julian. "Good." He kissed Julian on the cheek, and the two of them discussed jazz and reminisced about when they used to swap records a while back, and how they simply share everything now.

When Julian had to change the record over, he held his hand out in front of Noel. "You want to dance?" he asked.

Noel stared at the hand for a moment and was unsure what to do. His heart swelled and in his chest and the rate increased, and at the moment, he was almost sure he could never love with another person like he loved Julian. Then Noel stood without a word and wrapped his arms around Julian’s neck, biting his lip, trying to keep himself from getting too overwhelmed once again. "Julian–" Noel started in a whisper.

"Shh," Julian cut him off, shushing him so they could enjoy the moment. Enjoy the music, the lyrics, the smell of wine, the feel of the two of them swaying together, and most of all, enjoy _them_.

Noel sighed and pressed himself up against Julian, closing his eyes as he snuggled his face in the crook of his neck. He revelled in the scent of Julian, who smelled like smoke, wine, and something that was purely _him_. The fingers of one hand began to play at the hairs on the back of Julian’s neck as Julian’s arms wrapped around Noel’s waist.

The couple swayed in a circle as Ella Fitzgerald told a sad story about a love that couldn’t cease to be, and soon _Stardust_ would slowly drift through the speakers. Julian made a soft chuckle, which made Noel lift his head and look at him with a curious smile.

"What are you laughing at?" Noel whispered.

Julian just shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "I just remembered how sad you got when we listened to this record," he said.

Noel began to chew on his bottom lip, but he couldn’t help but grin. "I wasn’t sad that night, Julian. Quiet the opposite. But it’s very gentlemanly of you to wait all these years before asking me." His tone had the slightest hint of sarcasm, which made Julian softly scoff.

"We haven’t listened to this in a while, little man, don’t say it was my fault I never asked before," Julian snapped back playfully, the hint of a smirk playing at the tips of his lips.

This made Noel laugh, and he brought his hands down to rest on Julian’s chest, playing with the buttons on his shirt. He turned his attention to the buttons, and whispered, "That was the night I realized I was in love with you."

There was silence between the two of them for a moment, until Julian whispered back, "Me too."

Noel’s gaze flicked up to meet Julian’s eyes, and he let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. "You’ve gone soft, haven’t you?" Noel teased. He had to use humor to relieve the tension in the air, he couldn’t help himself.

Julian sneered and shook his head. "You made me soft. It’s your fault I’ve gone all... gooey in the middle." He said it with a look of disgust, but Noel knew Julian was only fooling.

A chuckle escaped Noel’s throat, and a fond sigh accompanied it. "Sorry," he apologized softly, but he wasn’t apologetic about it one bit. He wrapped one arm around Julian’s neck and rested his head back onto his chest.

The two of them continued to dance without exchanging words, listening intently to the lyrics, and sometimes Julian would begin to hum to the music. At the end of the song, Julian pulled away slightly to give Noel a soft, short kiss. "I need a drink," he whispered against his lips, and Noel nodded, and the two of them snickered, knowing it was really just an excuse to avoid the subsequent song.

The two of them couldn’t help but grin as the next song began to play, a song about belonging to daddy (Noel always had to remember, it was the fifties afterall), and Noel remembered fondly when they spent the entire duration of the song laughing at the lyrics, rightfully deciding that they weren’t to dance to that one particular song. It would be too weird, though they both had to admit, it wasn’t the worst song in the world.

Julian leaned down to pick up their glasses of wine and handed Noel’s to him, who took it gratefully with a soft "Thanks." Julian finished his glass, and a smile inescapably appeared on his face, feeling a bit tingly inside. It was most likely due to the alcohol, he figured, but still, Noel often made him feel indescribably happy, that he didn’t know what to do with himself most times.

Noel returned with a grin, a soft twinkle in his eyes with made Julian crumble just that bit more. It was true, Noel really did make him a big softy.

Noel made sure to also finish his glass of wine and placed it on the coffee table just as the following song filled the room. It was Noel’s favorite song on the album: _You Leave Me Breathless_. Noel ran his hand down Julian’s arm to grab his hand gently, looking at him coyly. He pulled them to the middle of the room and smiled fondly up at Julian.

They assumed their dancing position again, with Julian’s arms around Noel’s waist with Noel’s hands placed at his neck, playing with the collar of his button-up shirt. Julian pulled Noel closer, and the smaller man closed his eyes as a hand fell to rest on the other’s chest, feeling his heartbeat underneath his hand. It was slightly fast, which made Noel chuckle softly and smile against Julian’s shoulder.

About halfway through the song, Noel lifted his head and placed his hands on Julian’s cheeks, which made Julian smile. Noel leaned in slowly as if he were to give Julian a kiss, but he stopped short of his lips to whisper, his eyes fluttering close, "Breathless." It was a simple word, two syllables that flew out– no, they seemed to float, gliding into the air, resting on Julian’s lips. There was nothing else that needed to be said, as Julian only sighed softly, his own eyes fluttering closed when Noel finally pressed his lips to his. Julian’s arms moved up Noel’s back to pull him closer, his fingers sprawled against Noel’s shoulder blade and side.

Noel’s tongue ran along Julian’s bottom lip, resulting in a hum from both of them when he was entered access. Noel tasted like strawberries and wine and sweets, but that was soon disrupted by the bitter taste of smoke and tobacco, until there was nothing but _Noel_.

The kiss quickly escalated, and by the time the song ended, Julian had moved the two of them closer to the couch with roaming hands. Noel pushed Julian down so he could straddle the older man, the skirt of his green dress slightly hitching up his thighs. Julian’s hands rested on the man’s thighs, playing with the fringe that lay splayed out, while Noel’s fingers ran through Julian’s short, soft, brown hair.

Eventually, they broke apart and looked at each other with grins and soft gazes, trying to catch their breaths.

"Julian?" Noel piped up softly, a sheepish smile displayed on his face.

Julian hummed in question as he began to leave kisses along Noel’s sharp jawline, to his neck, along his shoulders and exposed collarbones, until he finally settled on one place where his shoulder met his neck, where he sucked and nibbled, hoping to create a mark.

Noel bit his lip and a hand tightened slightly in Julian’s hair. "Julian– Will you..." His voice was a breathless sigh, somehow losing the ability to ask a seemingly simple question.

Julian pulled away from Noel’s neck and looked up at him, concerned, bringing a hand up to run his thumb tenderly across Noel’s worried brow to smooth it out. "What is it?" he asked.

Noel lowered his gaze coyly and whispered, "Will you– will you make love to me?" He heard Julian’s breath hitch, a shudder went through the older man’s body, and soft blue eyes meet chocolate brown ones. Julian’s tummy became warm and fluttery, and his crotch certainly liked the idea as his member twitched with interest.

Julian kissed Noel again, but this time it was slower, softer, gentler, tender, but not any less passionate, which made Noel melt into Julian’s arms. He took that as a yes, and his hands wandered to the front of Julian’s shirt, beginning to unbutton it, while Julian’s hands made their way under Noel’s dress and rested on his ass. This made Noel moan and smile against Julian’s mouth. "Cheeky," he whispered, which resulted in a chuckle from the opposite man and a slight squeeze.

Julian began to kiss down Noel’s jawline and neck, nipping every once in a while, light chuckles escaping Noel’s throat. He had successfully unbuttoned Julian’s shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders, letting it hang just at his elbows.

Julian finally pulled away after many more minutes of kissing and he let out a breathy laugh. "Bedroom, _now_ ," was all he whispered, which made Noel stand up and grab his hand.

He pulled Julian up from the couch, but he let out a loud sigh when Julian looked back at the few candles he had lit earlier and frowned. Noel rolled his eyes and impatiently blew them out to ease Julian’s paranoid mind. "Jesus Christ, come on," he groaned and helped Julian out of shirt, letting it fall to the floor before pulling on his arm so they could hurry up and get to Noel’s bedroom.

Julian laughed and trudged along. "Sorry."

**_~~~_ **

Silence had conquered the bedroom, sleep heavy in the atmosphere accompanied by the smell of sex and smoke that still lingered. There was light breathing coming from the bed, where Noel and Julian were cuddled beneath the duvet, with intertwined legs and arms wrapped around each other thoughtfully. The opened curtains allowed light to pour into the bedroom from the window, casting a dim grey-blue light that belonged to a streetlamp along the hardwood floor and foot of the bed, acting as a spotlight for the discarded green dress and pair of jeans.

Noel sighed softly and left a soft kiss on Julian’s chest as his thoughts drifted to years ago, when the night meant something other than a secretive affair and night clubs. As a young child, Noel always loved the night for the amount of stars that would fill the sky when he was outside the city, and how the moon would shine down as he sat at the window, his head resting in his hands as he looked up at the dark sky. He loved stars, he loved the idea that a star could have already died, yet still shine on, that it still allowed people to see its beauty even after it was no longer a star. He especially loved the concept that everybody, that he and Julian, were made of stars. He liked to think that they were made of the same star, which is what brought them together in the first place, as if they were always supposed to be together.

A whisper filled the soft, empty room, "Hey Ju?"

A soft grunt from the other man indicated that he was listening. Noel was pleasantly surprised to find that Julian hadn’t fallen asleep yet, and he smiled when he moved his head that still lay on his chest to look at Julian’s face. Julian’s eyes were closed and his eyebrows had knitted together in annoyance, confused as to why Noel wasn’t asleep yet.

"Did you know we’re made of stars?" Noel continued.

Julian eyes fluttered open, his eyebrows relaxing, and he looked at the smaller man, exhaustion evident in his expression, yet Noel could still find the smallest hint of amusement and curiosity in his eyes. "Oh yeah?"

Noel grinned and nodded. "Yeah. We’re made out of the same stuff stars are made out of. Isn’t that genius? We’re like... star people. We’re little stardust people that just... don’t know how to shine."

"You shine, Noel," Julian whispered back, a smile now playing on his lips. "You sure do shine."

"Maybe we’re more like the sun and the moon, though. We’re sort of meant together."

"Who is which?"

"Well," Noel started, looking down at his hand that lay in the middle of Julian’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. He thought for a moment as he chewed on his lip before continuing, "You’re probably... the moon and I’m the sun."

"Am I only the moon because they call me Howard Moon, jazz maverick, man of action?" Julian asked, an eyebrow raised.

This made Noel giggle and shake his head. "No! Well, maybe a bit, but you’re quite beautiful, you’re soft and quiet, but you’re still so important. You’re responsible for the ocean’s tides, and you control all the stars." Noel looked back up at Julian with a smile. "And you’re dark and mysterious and moody, which compels everybody to you," he continued, "and sometimes you hide away, or show only a fraction, when some nights you’re willing to be the brightest thing in the sky."

Julian nodded and smiled. "And so you’re the sun." Noel’s head bobbed in agreement. "Right, you’re obnoxious, bright, but unapologetically flamboyant."

Noel nudged Julian gently with a pout, glaring up at him. Julian only laughed and went on, "But the sun is still a star, you know. The moon is just a broken piece of Earth. So this makes you a star, and me just a small rock compared to you. And anyway, everything revolves around you. You run the whole thing. There would be no Earth without you, no moon. And even if you are a flaming hot gas, you’re what’s keeping us alive."

Noel leaned up to give Julian a gentle kiss. "The sun and the moon really shouldn’t have an affair, though, should they?" he whispered as he nestled up against Julian, his head now laying on Julian’s shoulder as Julian’s arm lay on his back, his thumb making light circles on his side. It worried Noel to think that, like the sun, he was difficult to reach, and that you would get burned if you tried to touch. But Julian didn’t seem to mind if he got burned, he was willing to take that chance.

Julian sighed and shook his head. "No, Noel, I suppose they shouldn’t. But they also don’t care, because they’re the sun and the moon. Nobody can stop them."

Julian smiled at Noel fondly and kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Noel," Julian whispered.

"I love you, too, Julian," the smaller man whispered back.

A few quiet moments passed, and Julian was drifting off to sleep when Noel unexpectedly disturbed the silence with, "Too bad the moon is a milky rapist that spies on children."

"Go to sleep, Noel," Julian snapped at him under his breath.

Noel smiled and finally let his eyes flutter closed. "Goodnight, Ju." He drifted off to sleep that night, with the thought of the two of them as stars, floating in space hand-in-hand together. The best part was that, from Earth, they would be seen as one big star. They would be too close and too bright for anybody to notice that there were two stars instead of one, and he decided that those were the best stars. The stars that shared their light with each other, fooling everybody on Earth into thinking they were just one whole, complete star. And they would be dancing around each other, simply revolving around each other, not caring about anything else except sharing gravity and light. Perhaps to Julian, they were more star-crossed, but to Noel, they were a binary star, always orbiting each other, dancing, waltzing. Waltzing stars. Noel certainly made a note to paint that before his brain finally surrendered to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!! Apologies for such a late post, I got busy by the end of the school year with exams and had to put the fic on hold. It was going to be a bit longer, but I decided this was the best I could write, so I hope you all enjoyed it~!
> 
> P.S.  
> Apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes, this was unbetaed so all mistakes are my own.


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